MOVE ISSUE 02

MOVE ISSUE 02

MOVE
08.31.12 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 02
THE KEY TO YOUR ENTERTAINMENT
Graffiti for good
+
GETTING DIRTY
THIS YEAR'S EPIC MUD RUN IS
ABOUT TO BE JUST THAT.
PERKS OF PEDALLING
BIKE FOR A CAUSE (AND FREE
STUFF).
LAUGHS, OUT LOUD
HA HA TONKA JUST LOVES TO
PLAY.
FOLLOW US
@MANEATERMOVE
/cover
photo/JENNY MCGEE
design/Savannah kannberg
EDITOR/DELIA CAI
2 MOV E • 08.31.12
Ninth St.
“Just because everything looks nice and pretty
on the surface - remember what you’re dropping
down underneath,” Francis says.
The simple slogan on Francis’ piece, “think
b4 u dump,” extends farther than a street corner.
“It means doing the little bit that every one
person can do just to make sure that not only
future generations but our generation is able to
have a glass of water without dying,” Francis says.
Eighth St.
Cherry St.
RODGER FRANCIS, ILLUSTRATOR
Seventh St.
DEBorAH ZEMKE, AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR
For her piece, Zemke drew from her
experience illustrating nature and animals and
humor for the “Critter Crackup” feature in
Ranger Rick magazine.
Some parts of the composition were
drawn directly from Zemke’s time in the
nature of Columbia. The blue herons on the
sidewalk, for example, come from a personal
encounter while she was on a walk with her
dog.
When asked what exactly she was
painting, Zemke says, “You have to go see!”
Sixth St.
According to the World English Dictiory, the phoenix
is defined as a “legendary Arabian bird said to set fire
to itself and rise anew from the ashes every 500 years.”
Phoenixes are known for rising from their own
ashes with renewed hope, a symbol of immortality and
restoration. “Phoenix” also happens to be the name of
rock band The Classic Crime’s fourth studio album, and
the name could not be more fitting.
The Classic Crime, a grossly understated rock band,
has been around since 2003, and since then has released
three studio albums previous to Phoenix. The band
originally signed with Tooth & Nail Records, but after
releasing album No. 3, Vagabonds, it was time to delve
into deeper waters. In 2011, after the departure of one
guitarist, The Classic Crime left Tooth & Nail Records
and decided to produce its latest CD independently.
Funded through Kickstarter, an online fundraising
website for creative projects, The Classic Crime let its
fans help create the album. By pledging certain amounts
of money, fans could propel the album progress forward
and in turn receive cool incentives from the band like
signed albums, Skype conversations from the band and
much more.
In order to receive the funding, the band had to
raise $30,000 in a little over a month. The band was
overwhelmed to find that its fans reached that goal in a
mere 24 hours, and by the end of the fundraising period,
The Classic Crime had been funded $86,278 by 1,981
supportive fans, according to the band’s Kickstarter page.
From there, very happy fans were ready to watch The
Classic Crime rise from the challenges it had faced in the
past year to produce something beautiful.
Phoenix is a solid album from start to finish. The
album starts off with the intro track, “One Man Army,”
and for new listeners, lead vocalist Matt MacDonald’s
dark and charming voice will draw you in from the start
as he sings, “I used to let you fight the battles before me,
but now I stand alone, just a one man army.”
Many of the tracks on Phoenix deal with the theme
of hope and perseverance through trial. On “What I’d
Give Up,” MacDonald sings, “I’ve got new direction;
I feel winds of change.” Those ideas flow through the
entire album, revealing a deep, raw passion shown by
the members. It was clear to The Classic Crime that the
journey wouldn’t be easy, but when its fans believed in it
from the start, it surely made it all worth it.
“Phoenix” is full of melodic guitar riffs, tightly knit
rhythm, strong vocals and thought-provoking lyrics.
“You and Me Both” and “Beautiful Darkside” both are
strong tracks in every area. They both are infectiously
catchy (just try and not drum your fingers along to them)
and truly captivate the theme of the album. The album
ends with the outro, “I Will Wait,” closing the album
perfectly with, “I used to let you fight, but now I stand
alone; I will wait, will you fight for me again?”
Inspiration. Talent. Passion. Drive. Support. Phoenix
could not have been what it was without any one of these
things. And even beyond that, Phoenix would have never
came to be if it weren’t for The Classic Crime’s fans. On
one of its Kickstarter updates, MacDonald shares how
blessed he felt after the band received full funding for
its album: “This is more than an album project, this is
something that completely validates the journey we’ve
been on since we formed in February of 2003. These
past nine years have been … tumultuous. Time and time
again our hopes lifted and fell and lifted and fell … You
told us with your pledge that you DO care. You told us so
much more than that, you filled a longing in our hearts.”
On Aug. 14, The Classic Crime independently released
Phoenix and was an overwhelming success. Phoenix
reached No. 130 on the U.S. Top 200 charts, No. 22 on
the U.S. Indie charts and No. 44 on the U.S. Rock charts,
according to Billboard. “You restored in us the hope
that this music is worth something and is important,”
MacDonald tells his fans via Kickstarter. And that is what
makes everything about Phoenix so beautiful.
Downtown CoMo storm drains get a
Roots 'N' Blues induced makeover via
local artists.
Thumper Entertainment is backing a project with local artists, some of
whom actually work right out of downtown studios, to brighten our community
a wee bit more with some beautiful, not to mention meaningful: art.
Nine artists have taken on the task to paint the storm drains of downtown in
their own unique style to raise awareness on the effects of storm drain littering.
Who would want to throw their Kaldi’s cup onto an impressive piece of art?
This artistic endeavor will kick color into our downtown and make litterers think
twice. It’s a win-win.
Fifth St.
From fandom
to fame
mollie barnes | reporter
lauren rutherford | reporter
lauren steele | reporter
Fourth St.
JACKSON FARLEY
on The Classic
Crime's Phoenix
Drains by design
Providence Road
feedback
Locust St.
Elm
St.
CAIT CAMPBELL | GRAPHICS ASSISTANT
mike sleadd, professor
Mike Sleadd happens to be in charge of leading
the decorative endeavor that Storm Drain Art
is. Now after 40 years in the art world, Mike
is a graphic design professor and department
chairman for Columbia College’s art department.
His inked drawing style has been incorporated
into his storm drain design, just as a painting
this time.
“I must say that this piece isn’t particularly
‘unique’ in style from my other work, except that
it is a painting, and I generally draw,” Sleadd says.
“To accomplish the look of an ink drawing on
the sidewalk was the challenge. I believe that my
tiger is somewhat Asian in style and looks nothing
like Truman.”
DENNIS MURPHY, ILLUSTRATOR
Dennis Murphy draws his inspiration for his storm
drain from predators. His design originally started
out as a shark, but he switched it to a throwaway
bottle that resembles a shark.
jane mudd, professor/artist
“Think simple” is the tactic behind Jane
Mudd’s storm drain design. She wanted
something simple that would appeal to the
younger crowd of Columbia.
Mudd uses the word “THINK” in her
design to make viewers stop and think about
what they are putting down the drain and
whether it is clean water or trash. She said in
an email her design is a “clam man” because
clams and other shellfish signify healthy
streams.
BEN CHLAPEK, GRAPHIC DESIGNER
“I thought about what I wanted to depict for
a long time,” Chlapek confesses.
He finally settled on what he does best:
portraying potential homes.
“A bunch of houses connected in the
middle of a body of water has a feeling of
togetherness, yet separate from everything
else at the same time,” Chlapek says.
He visually builds his concept with a
colorful portrayal of homes connected by
strings of lights residing over water.
JENNY MCGEE, artist
Jenny McGee has created art in
many facets, in all corners of the
earth, while holding tight to one
mantra: “nothing is so wretched that
it cannot be redeemed by art.”
Every experience in life -- from
her breaking her leg in 20 places to
overcoming and recovering from
cancer -- Jenny has taken darkness
and transformed it into triumphant
art. For this project, however, Jenny
used her experiences from living in
El Salvador, where her heart and her
eyes were opened to the struggle of
thousands of people that combat
the human need for water with
the problem of not being able to
obtain it.
lisa bartlett, Gallery owner
“I like to do a lot of blues painting,”
Bartlett says.
Her design draws from this musical
inspiration by featuring a guitar player with
blues lyrics around him. She says she hopes
people will draw the message that pollution
will “give you the blues.”
maura mudd, GRAPHIC DESIGNER
As a message about littering that Mudd
describes as “not too preachy,” her design
includes the inspiring motto, “This Earth
Connects Us All.” Along with that mantra,
Maura’s painting features a serene koi pond
complete with fish and lily pads, flowing
peacefully over the sidewalk at the corner of
Locust and Fifth streets.
“I wanted to allow people to interpret
it however they want, but I hope they
think about the message as they walk by:
about how this earth connects all animals
and people, and how we all should do our
part to keep it beautiful, regardless of our
differences,” Maura says of her particular
inspiration for this project.
PHOTOS BY GABBBY KRONGARD
| SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
We are never ever getting
back together. Like ever.
reel reviews
JOSH SIPP
on JGL's new movie
savannah kannberg | associate editor
Say what you want
about her voice, but
Taylor Swift knows how
to date. And date. And
date. Every few weeks,
her curls are gracing
another tabloid cover
because she’s been spotted having coffee with
another guy. The girl
knows how to get it.
And how to write songs about it. So will her
new boyfriend, Conor Kennedy, be immortalized in a break-up song soon? Can this kid,
barely 18 and living with his parents, hold up
against her five most famous exes? Let’s see.
The Boys:
JOHN MAYER, 34
Songs Written About Him: “Dear John” and
“The Story of Us”
JAKE GYLLENHAAL, 31
Songs Written About Him: Has escaped
thus far, but will he escape her new album, Red?
CORY MONTEITH, 30
Songs Written About Him: “Mine”
JOE JONAS, 23
Songs Written About Him: “Forever &
Always,” “Last Kiss” and “Better Than Revenge”
TAYLOR LAUTNER, 20
Songs Written About Him: “Back to
December”
CONOR KENNEDY, 18
Songs Written About Him: None so far, but
apparently Swift has already written a song about
the Kennedys after meeting his family, according
to a Kennedy family member in an interview
with ABC News.
The rankings:
Each boy receives a score between 1 (worst)
and 6 (best) per category.
Attractiveness.
MAYER 1
You know you don’t really like him, despite
his soulful singing. His face should have
“douchebag” tattooed on it, and that ruins any
bit of attractiveness remaining.
GYLLENHAAL 4
Swift and I both seem to love blue-eyed
boys -- and Gyllenhaal’s are pretty piercing.
Think about looking into those over dinner and
dessert. But looks do fade ... and Gyllenhaal is
already 31.
MONTEITH 3
He’s 6’3” and barely looks out of college.
He also has a dopey grin and great hair. Yet, he’s
30. And that was getting a little old for T. Swift.
JONAS 2
Joe Jonas is the second-cutest Jonas brother,
but even that can’t save him when he’s stacked up
next to TAYLOR LAUTNER’S ABS.
LAUTNER 5
Have you seen “Abduction”? Really? Or the
first five minutes of any Twilight movie (let’s
be honest)? Try to tear yourself away from
Lautner’s body for just a second to check out
that cute face.
KENNEDY 6
He easily has the best hair out of the group.
It’s floppy, curly and cute. It’s like he’s Harry
Styles with a famous surname.
Best Facial Hair
MAYER 1
One word for that scruff: ew. He likes to
rock an “awkward mustache,” which looks both
uncomfortable and unseemly.
GYLLENHAAL 6
None of these boys have facial hair quite
like Gyllenhaal. He has a whole beard going on
here. Maybe it’s because, at 31, he’s had years to
grow it out?
MONTEITH 2
Since most of his time is spent playing
boyish Finn on Glee, Monteith rarely seems to
be anything but clean-shaven. When he does
attempt to grow out some facial hair, it just looks
like he forgot to shave for a week.
JONAS 5
If you ignore the photos of him wearing
fake black glasses, the beard-goatee-mustache
combination is working. It makes you forget he
was in a boy band once upon a time.
LAUTNER 4
It might be tough, but if you stop looking at Lautner’s abs -- lol, you can’t -- you can
sometimes see him rocking the chinstrap. On
him, it’s less lazy and more too-busy-to-shavetoday-sorry.
KENNEDY 3
Is he old enough to shave? Kennedy looks
perfectly clean-shaven in every photo with Swift.
This might be a good thing given that scruff is
not a Kennedy family trait.
Net Worth. (because her own $80
million is never enough)
MAYER 5 (tie)
The Grammy-winner has an estimated $40
million net worth, according to Celebrity Net
Worth.
GYLLENHAAL 6
$65 million. Enough said.
MONTEITH 1
$1 million. TV doesn’t pay the big bucks.
JONAS 3
$18 million thanks to CDs, concert tickets
and a short-lived TV show on Disney Channel.
LAUTNER 5 (tie)
$40 million. He was paid a combined $25
million just for both parts of “The Twilight Saga:
Breaking Dawn.”
KENNEDY 2 + 50 for his last name
He’s worth $10 million and after his mother’s
recent suicide, he has been named executor
of the estate. So someone is trusting him with
quite a lot.
What’s in the future?
MAYER 1
No. Just no. If it’s true that “We’re Never
Ever Getting Back Together” was written with
Mayer in mind (rumor!), Swift makes it pretty
clear that there isn’t a future for them.
GYLLENHAAL 3
Who goes back to a guy who breaks up via
text? Not Taylor Swift. But the eyes? Hmm.
MONTEITH 2
He’s dating Lea Michele. Not happening.
JONAS 4 (tie)
While Jonas went on the radio to claim that
“We’re Never Ever Getting Back Together” is
not about him, he wants to be friends with Swift,
allegedly.
LAUTNER 4 (tie)
I like T-squared, but there’s already one
Taylor Lautner out there. A Taylor Swift Lautner
is not something the world needs.
KENNEDY 5
Swift was looking at a Cape Cod house next
door to the Kennedy compound (not creepy,
right?), and was starstruck by getting to meet the
Kennedy clan. He’s already had breakfast with
her parents.
»
GRAND TOTALS:
MAYER 8
GYLLENHAAL 19
MONTEITH 9
JONAS 15
LAUTNER 18
KENNEDY 67
The somewhat scientific analysis of Swift’s
boyfriends proves that Kennedy wins by a landslide. Mostly because he received 50 points for
having the Kennedy last name. Does this mean
they’ll overcome the awkwardness of him still
stuck in high school? Maybe.
If not, expect songs about the habit of
Kennedy men cheating on their significant others all over Red, her new album, out Oct. 22.
Epic Mud Run will turn participants into dirty mongrels
There are many ways in which humans are similar to other animal
species on the planet.
To name a few, we are protective of our young. Some people are
hunters, some gatherers, and we all have an inherent desire to flounder in
mud like pigs.
Wait, what?
For those of you who haven’t discovered this third trait about yourself,
you have an opportunity to see just how much fun splishin’ and splashin’
in mud can be.
UltraMax Sports in Columbia will host its second Epic Mud Run at
noon Sunday at the Midway Travel Plaza off Highway 70.
“This is the perfect venue for the event,” Epic Mud Run coordinator
Kaela Rorvig says.
If the words “mud run” aren’t sufficiently self-explanatory for you,
here’s the deal: participants in this event run three miles on a track made
almost purely of mud. There are also multiple obstacle courses, such as tires
to navigate through, wooden bars to circumvent and two enormous Slip ‘N
Slides to ensure not an inch of your person is left clean.
“This event attracts anybody and everybody,” Rorvig says. “You don’t
have to be a professional runner to sign up and be able to do it.”
The race releases 19 different waves of people every 20 minutes. There
will be concessions and a beer garden available to interested and legal
contestants and spectators.
Last year the Mud Run involved almost 1,000 spectators and participants,
including MU senior Siån Evans.
“It was so much fun, there was so much energy,” Evans says. “I
recommended it to a lot of people to go this year.”
This year, more than 2,500 people have already signed up, but your
chance to sign up for Sunday’s race has not passed.
Registration is still taking place online at UltraMax Sports’ website. You
can also register in its retail store, located at 2902 Forum Blvd. If you want
to compete in a group, you can register teams of three or four. You’ll need
a photo ID, especially if you plan to drink in the beer garden.
“Come off the couch and have a good time,” Rorvig says. “It’s more of
a laid back atmosphere. You don’t have that competitive vibe that maybe a
5K or a half marathon would have.”
The event costs $65 for individual participants ages 12 and up. Team
discounts vary, and although this may seem like a pretty penny, the money
goes to support the MU Children’s Hospital and Children’s Miracle
Network, according to the Epic Mud Run website.
Obviously this event will be legen…wait for it…dary. If it wasn’t, they
would have titled it something like the Mundane Mud Run or the I-Don’tHave-Anthing-Better-to-Do Mud Run.
No. This is the Epic Mud Run.
colette rector | reporter
ELIZABETH KING l PHOTOGRAPHER
A Premium
Rush of
Enjoyment
Every once in a while, something comes along that shatters your
expectations by such a great margin that it completely takes you by
surprise.
It could be a burger you thought was too cheap to be good that
you suddenly tried and now eat every day, but now you’re kind of
getting tired of it because you probably shouldn’t live off Shack
burgers. Or it could be how absolutely awful your fantasy football
team is this year even though you vehemently brush off your
friends’ insults with comments like “dude, Chris Johnson is going
to have a great year” or “seriously, once Kenny Britt recovers from
the knee injury and serves his suspension for his DUI, he’s going to
go off.” Apologies to the non-football fans; I promise I’m about to
make a point, and the point is this: “Premium Rush” was another
moment just like those, when something completely shatters your
expectations for it.
Yes, this is the bike movie you saw the trailer for when you saw
the Dark Knight Rises, and I phrase it like that because I’ll forever
assume 100 percent of the American population saw that movie.
Now, if you are anything like me, or most people I know at least,
you probably thought a movie about a guy riding a bike around New
York would end up being a total flop. The good news is: you were
almost right. “Premium Rush” is currently behind such cinematic
marvels as “ParaNorman” and “The Odd Life of Timothy Green”
in weekend box office scores. It did, however, manage to beat out
“2016: Obama’s America” (which just saw its seventh week in
theaters) by a whopping $60,000. Yeah, “Premium Rush” flopped.
And I need to stop picking on “ParaNorman,” it actually looked like
an endearing children’s movie.
Putting that aside though, “Premium Rush” was actually a pretty
decent movie. I know that’s not exactly a shining endorsement; I’m
standing in a grey area so large that even Christopher Nolan couldn’t
write a script that ended with me finding a way out, but “Premium
Rush” was strangely enjoyable. It might have been the movie’s
incredibly low expectations, but I actually sat through the credits and
reflected on how stunningly mediocre it was. It wasn’t just a stupid
bike movie; it felt like more than that. The story was well-written
and you learn to love Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character, Wilee, and
his care-free, “live life with no brakes” attitude as he gets caught up
in everything happening around him. The movie was, and I hate to
simplify it to only this, but it was fun. It was just fun to watch.
The movie begins by introducing Wilee and fellow bike
messengers, Vanessa (Dania Ramirez) and Manny (Wolé Parks),
and their hilarious manager, Raj (Aasif Mandvi, “The Daily Show”).
Wilee is tasked with picking up and delivering a simple envelope,
but he doesn’t know that this envelope is about to take him on the
ride of his life as he navigates his way past a crooked cop (Michael
Shannon), taxis, pedestrians and my personal favorite character, the
bicycle cop (Christopher Place). The riding scenes are actually much
more visually interesting than you would expect and are highlighted
by excellent camera work, which helps to really capture the feeling
of speeding down busy New York streets. The plot as a whole keeps
you interested the entire way through by being suspenseful enough
to keep you caring, but also being campy enough to keep everything
lighthearted. So if you’re scrambling for date ideas, this movie could
be your savior.
Overall, “Premium Rush” deserves an endearing 6 GordonLevitts out of 10 — which is pretty good. It is a movie about a guy
riding a bike, after all.
Bike Race to raise money for
Ronald McDonald House
Ever had the urge to wake up at 8 a.m. on a Saturday and
bike 100 miles? What if we told you there was a free beer garden
involved?
This year’s Show-Me 100 Bike Ride takes place Saturday, Sept.
29, at the Parkade Center, where fleets of bicyclists will pedal
together to support the Ronald McDonald House Charities of
Mid-Missouri.
“The Show-Me 100 is more than a ride with a cause; it is a festival
of fun,” says Barb King, event founder and director of development
and communications at the Ronald McDonald House of Columbia.
This festival of fun features three different routes: a 31-mile, a
62-mile and a 100-mile course.
“Anyone can do a 30-mile ride with little to no training beforehand,” King says.
Each ride begins at a different time, with the first route, the 100mile, commencing at 8 a.m. The course begins at Parkade Center
and includes seven rest stops, each of which will have food, drinks
and a first aid station. And after the race, a Lifestyle Festival -- including live music, games and of course, that beer garden -- will keep that
adrenaline raging.
Students are able to register until the morning of the race itself.
Entry into the ride costs $25 per rider. In addition, participants are
asked, though not required, to raise at least $200 (and snag a free
shirt if they do!). Riders who raise more than $500 score a free bike
jersey, and those who raise $1,000 are given a jersey and bike shorts.
“Last year everyone loved it,” says King, adding that 100 bicyclists showed up for last year’s ride. “People were excited when we
announced we were doing it again this year. The ride is more fun
than anything else - it’s nothing high-pressure, just a way to get a
great workout and support a great cause too.”
caroline o'reilly | reporter
08.31.12 • MOV E 3
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STYLE FILES
CLAIRE BOSTON
on being efficient in your
magazine buying with
this September issue
roundup.
Netherfriends
here, there,
and
everywhere
Fall for
September
issues
The temperatures in CoMo may remain stubbornly summerlike, but now that it’s nearly September, I can’t help but day-dream
about the perfectly crisp fall days ahead — and what I’ll be
wearing as I stroll (read: sprint) from East Campus to my classes
through the leaves. Luckily, with dozens of fat September issues
dominating the magazine racks, I don’t have to look far for fall
fashion inspiration.
In the past few weeks, I’ve managed to collect and read a
surprisingly tall stack of September issues. I must say, after a
while it becomes frustrating to read that boots are in for fall for
what feels like the umpteenth time. For those of you who want
to be more strategic with your reading material (or who just want
to avoid wasting $5 on a product that is 80 percent ads), I’ve
compiled the best and worst of what’s in this month’s glossies.
It’s only fair to start with the mother of all fashion magazines:
Vogue. Vogue’s 916-page September issue is its biggest ever,
beating out the 840-page September 2007 issue (subject of R.J.
Cutler’s fantastic documentary, “The September Issue”). But
editor-in-chief Anna Wintour had good a reason to top her
5-year-old record —- this September marks the magazine’s 120th
anniversary. Naturally, a good chunk of the magazine is devoted
to a retrospective on Vogue (don’t miss the cool fold-out that
highlights vintage covers), and really all other things fashion, but
Vogue also doesn’t skimp on other editorials. The star-studded
pages include editorials devoted to not only cover girl Lady Gaga
but also Florence Welch, Rooney Mara and the usual legion of
supermodels. For the trend-inclined, creative director Grace
Coddington lent her styling genius to four different shoots.
Although the magazine may include more than 600 pages of ads,
its actual content features no shortage of inspiration.
If high fashion is not your deal, Glamour provides a more
well-rounded approach to September. The 2012 issue features
Victoria Beckham, who also guest-edited the magazine, and
boasts itself as Glamour’s first official fall fashion issue. While the
fashion section is meatier than usual, the magazine’s content still
includes the usual roundup of diet tips and hot male celebrities.
But for those who like clothing suggestions and trend previews,
the fashion section, which gives solid (if a bit obvious -- rich
colors and leather for fall? I never would have guessed) tips for
fall, will satisfy just about anyone. Keep an eye out for actress
Elizabeth Olsen’s editorial in the back of the magazine — the
military looks she highlights are cute and surprisingly wearable.
You’ve been told never to judge a book by its cover, and Elle’s
September issue proves that the same holds true for magazines.
Between the hot pink background and Katy Perry’s purple hair
and pink sparkly dress, nothing about the cover conveys fall,
or for that matter, class. But if you can make it past page one,
the rest of the magazine is a treat. At more than 400 pages, the
magazine is certainly hefty, but it stops well short of Vogue’s
size, and throwing it in your bag won’t make you feel like you’re
lugging around a dumbbell. The fall fashion section impeccably
integrates trends from the runway with slightly more affordable
options, and although the editorials tend toward monochromatic,
the limited color scheme is surprisingly refreshing given the garish
cover.
For the culture junkie in us all, Vanity Fair’s September issue
stays high-brow enough to make you feel slightly less guilty about
reading yet another fashion magazine. If you can stomach an
absurdly pretentious society piece, the profile of those teenage
socialites, the Brants, makes for an amusing read. If you’re
only interested in clothes, head straight to photographer Paolo
Roversi’s beautifully captured look at Raf Simons’ work for Dior.
Ralph Lauren receives similar (and deserved) star treatment.
Though Kate Middleton’s cover photo, a rather unflattering
paparazzi shot, might make you skeptical of the best-dressed list,
the artsy portraits of the surprisingly diverse list of honorees are
simply stunning.
Only online at
move.themaneater.com
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Pop culture spotlight: Don't
mind GIF I do
Review: Ragtag Cinema's
"Queen of Versailles"
Recap: The First Annual CoMo
Jams BBQ
Web exclusive video game,
fitness and literary columns
Blogs on music, movies, pop
culture and way freaking more
4 MOV E • 08.31.12
After the most extensive U.S.
tour ever, this one-man band will
play at 10 p.m. Friday at Mojo's.
CARINA GIBSON l PHOTOGRAPHER
Netherfriends is Shawn Rosenblatt.
He spent the last year bringing his beats to every state in the U.S. His
electric-pop-psych style is new, catchy and quickly amping up the music
industry with the help of just two loop pedals and a few various instruments.
MOVE: There’s been a lot of talk about your “50 Songs in 50 States”
experience. How was that?
Shawn: In each state, I recorded a song that was at least two minutes
long and cohesively related to the region I was in. I also played at least one
show per state. It all took me about one year.
M: Where was your favorite place to record?
S: Probably Alaska and Casper, Wyoming. That was a very eye-opening,
positive experience.
M: And where was your most difficult performance?
S: Indiana. There were a lot of people, and the stage was in the back,
but the bar was in the front. You couldn’t really hear the music at all. That
show was pretty terrible.
M: What was the best thing about traveling across the states?
S: I don’t have a home anywhere, so the road is my home. I had to learn
to interact with new people, and I discovered how not to be a jerk. It taught
me how to be a good person.
M: How did you begin your musical career?
S: I wasn’t good at anything else. I had given up playing violin, and when
I started to play guitar at eleven, I said, “I’ll show you, Mom!” I wanted to
be good at something. Anything creative is your outlet ... it’s what you do to
get things off your chest, and that keeps me going.
M: What inspired the name “Netherfriends”?
S: I wanted to name my band after a country, and I also wanted to make
up my own word. I liked “Singawhore,” but it wouldn’t have really worked.
M: Who are some of the artists you have performed with? How has
that influenced your style?
S: I’ve performed with LCD Soundsystem, Panda Bear and Bill
Callahan. I take little things from them that I don’t even realize at the time,
like how to put on a good show. I’ve had to learn how to play for a room
full of strangers, and how to win them over with my music.
M: What are your plans now that you’ve travelled across the country?
S: To do it again and again, and again ... I want to keep touring. I leave
at the end of August for a tour through November, and in February I’m
heading to Europe to perform.
M: What should listeners expect for this weekend’s show at Mojo’s?
S: I’ve performed in Columbia a million times. This is the show to go to.
sara higginbotham | reporter
Getting the last laugh
Making music has never felt like a job to Ha Ha Tonka frontman Brian
Roberts.
The proud Missouri native has a hard time calling what he does work.
He likes getting paid to wail on an acoustic guitar. He likes performing for
crowds who know his lyrics as well as he does. He likes taking money away
from his buddies in tour bus poker games. Roberts, a German-major-turned
bonafide rocker, says he laughs when someone calls Ha Ha Tonka a “professional” band.
“It seems silly to view it as (if) we’re clocking in for a 9-to-5 work week,”
Roberts says. “We get to play music and tour around the world in a rock ‘n’
roll band, which is pretty crazy.”
Ha Ha Tonka‚ a band that never likes to take itself too seriously‚ will bring
its unabashed garage band energy to The Blue Note tonight. Just like with any
other Ha Ha show, fans can expect a rowdy concert experience that might
leave many with damaged ears and tapping toes.
The band’s twangy, no-holds-barred musical style is infectious. Despite
often harmonizing over things like child abuse and the failings of organized
religion, the not-always-uplifting themes are masked by rollicking guitar riffs
and bouncing piano melodies. Playing its own rowdy take on alt-country
-- think Wilco after a few beers -- the band has an upbeat sound with subtle,
affecting lyrics.
On its most recent effort, Death Of A Decade, the band has made what
Roberts thinks is its most mature album to date. The various themes thrown
at the listener -- the deaths that define a decade and how we often see ourselves in them--are potent, but oddly uplifting in context. As Roberts explains,
the band’s songwriting is heavily influenced by the state its members were
raised in.
“We draw a lot of inspiration from where we’re from in the Ozarks,”
Roberts says. “We try to sing about the people, places and things that we saw
or knew or experienced growing up.”
The concert will be almost like a homecoming of sorts for a band that
bleeds Missouri. Not only are they all from the Show-Me State, but Ha Ha’s
members went so far as to name their band after a state park close to their
hometown. They can tell a Kansas area code when they see it, too.
Tour
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TODD ROETH l PHOTOGRAPHER
It comes as no surprise that the band is excited for tonight’s show. While
promising there is no bias behind the claim, guitarist Brett Anderson says The
Blue Note is among his favorite venues in America. He says he loves the vibe
from the theater -- it’s a place where the shaggy-haired men of Ha Ha can
easily cut loose. To Anderson, that’s an important part of performing.
“You want to make sure that the audience is having a good time,”
Anderson says. “And in order to do that, you need to look like you’re having
a good time.”
Anderson says the joy he presents on stage is no act. Playing in front of
crowds across the world, he says, is something that never gets old. Just like
Roberts, he doesn’t see Ha Ha as a “professional” band.
“It really doesn’t feel like work at all,” Anderson says. “It really is an amazing adventure.”
jack howland | reporter
The Columbia music scene, though small, is
still notable. With so much activity in this town
centered around MU, it is easy to overlook a
group of guys trying to make a living playing
music.
Triple P is a hard rock trio with gigs around
the Columbia area and elsewhere. Guitarist
Luke Offield, bassist Ben Drummand and
drummer Mike Bonnot have been playing
together for about three years. They share
a bill with two other bands, Lunar Mansion
and Just Free, for a concert at The Bridge on
Friday night.
“I like to think that anyone who enjoys rock
music will like our band,” Offield says. “We
incorporate some blues/jazz passages in our
music and draw from several different genres. It
has more of an involved feel than typical rock
music so that makes a person feel more like a
participant.”
Kara Miller, media-relations director for
The Bridge, said the band puts on an impressive show.
“We present all different types of music
here at The Bridge, but we only book acts that
we think are really good,” Miller says.
At 34, Offield says he still has aspirations to
tour and move his band onto the national stage.
“At this point, we all have day jobs: I work
at a music store, Ben is a chef at a restaurant
and Mike works at the University Hospital,” he
says. “I wish I could play to get paid enough
to call this my profession, but the reality is
you don’t make enough money to pay your
bills. Though there are drawbacks to touring,
being up on a stage every night of the week is
something you get addicted to. I don’t have any
delusions, but I hope in the future that one day
I might be in the right opportunity to make it
happen.”
jake weisman | reporter